Wendy, THANK YOU! It is wonderful to have living proof of people I never knew.

Poor Great Grandpa Isaac. I'm sure the doctors considered him waking up after surgery a success, Stanley

Joe did indeed follow in his father's footsteps - he was headmaster at Bridgnorth school for many years.
He was in the Royal Corps of Engineers during the war - had he been a foot soldier I doubt I'd be here. He never spoke about the war to my dad other than to say he spent some time in Ypres. I sent away for his war records a few years ago but they were destroyed during the bombing in WWII.

Thank you for the link to the Lancashire parish records, Noyna. I've found a few possible ancestors to research. It would be so much easier if everyone hadn't been called John and William back then. I've seen some parish records from way way back and birth records just say "John, born to John Smith and his wife", so it could be worse

My cousins on my dad's side are considerably older than I am and my parents lost touch over the years. I really don't know this side of my family so I truly appreciate all of the information.

Wendy, you are fabulous. Yes, those are the records I sent for.
The school record is wonderful, especially the notes about his service. I imagine my dad knew he'd been wounded, but I never did.
I have some old photos of Joe, I'll see if my scanner still works and try to post them. It's always nice to have a face to a name.

I have just found a strange coincidence searching for Joseph Luther Barritt on Ancestry. I looked at a probate record which was actually for a Joseph Luther Barrett of Braisty Woods who died in 1938 with a Maud Barrett being one of the executors. Back in the late 1950's when I was a lass my family had a caravan on the farm at Braisty Woods (near Brimham Rocks in Nidderdale) owned by Maud who had then married a chap called Horner. How weird!

I hope everyone had a very happy Christmas!!
I found the following history on Ancestry of Isaac & his wife Alice Wood written by Faith Finnegan. She was descended from Joseph Wood and Nancy Camm, who were my great-great-great grandparents. Nancy & Joseph's eldest daughter Ann, married Henry Jackson and their 4th daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzie) was Faith's Granny. Short version, Faith is my cousin a few times removed.
I'm not sure how hold Faith was when she wrote this, but I've copied it word for word. According to her family's recollection, Isaac did indeed build Bleak House...

"Alice married and very remarkable young man from Foulridge, named Isaac Barritt. He had been Headmaster of Rainhall Road School, Barnoldswick, since he was 21; no doubt the fact that he had been trained at Westminster College at a time when very few teachers were fully trained, had a lot to do with his early appointment to a headship. It is his granddaughter Romola Verney who has told me more about him, I often heard my parents speak of him. They were both related to his wife, Alice, of course. They had great respect for him, as did all who knew him; his Member of Parliament, the Anglican clergy and educationalists all doubted his friendship. He was perhaps mostly widely known as a Methodist lay preacher, in great demand for anniversaries and other special occasions. No doubt he impressed his congregations as much by his appearance as by his preaching,Romola says that he always wore frock coat and silk hat. When he announced for first married they lived at the schoolhouse but later he built a large house Tubber Hill which he named Bleak House; his admiration for the Brontes as well as Dickens, can be seen from the names he gave his daughters.
He was present at the lane of the foundation stone of Bingley.Training College as a special representative of before the college was open he had died. The circumstances of his death seems incredible to us; he was taken ill with what was believed to be an ulcer. The doctor who was called operated on him on the kitchen table with fatal results--- surgery must have been primitive in 1910!
Alice lived to be 96 and three of her five children also reach their 90s. Romola says that when Alice was young she attended courses in dressmaking butter making and other skills suitable for a farmer's wife but she was the only one of the six daughters whom Isabella reared who didn't marry a farmer. However she would be able to put her dressmaking lessons to good use: Romola says that she insisted on altering a skirt of hers when she was over 90!"